If you've been searching for a solid roblox daily reward script tutorial, you probably already know that keeping players coming back every day is the secret sauce for any successful game. It's one thing to get someone to click on your game once, but it's another thing entirely to make them want to return 24 hours later. A daily login bonus is a classic mechanic that works wonders for player retention, and honestly, it's not as complicated to set up as it might seem at first.
In this walkthrough, we're going to build a functional daily reward system from scratch. We'll cover the UI, the data saving, and the actual logic that checks if 24 hours have passed.
Why Bother With a Daily Reward?
Before we jump into the code, let's think about why we're doing this. Most top-tier games on Roblox use some kind of "streak" or "daily gift" system. It taps into that human habit of wanting to collect things. If a player knows they'll get 100 free coins just for clicking a button once a day, they're much more likely to open your game even if they don't have time for a full session.
From a developer's perspective, this boosts your "Average Daily Active Users" (DAU), which tells the Roblox algorithm that your game is engaging. Better engagement usually means better placement on the front page. So, let's get into the nitty-gritty of making this happen.
Setting Up the User Interface
First things first, your players need something to click. We aren't going to make anything too fancy here—just a simple button that tells the player if their reward is ready.
- Open Roblox Studio and head over to the StarterGui folder.
- Add a ScreenGui and name it "DailyRewardGui".
- Inside that, add a Frame. This will be your pop-up window. Center it on the screen.
- Inside the Frame, add a TextButton (this is the claim button) and a TextLabel (this will show the countdown or a "Ready!" message).
I usually like to name my buttons something obvious like "ClaimButton" so I don't get confused later when I have fifty different UI elements. You can style it however you want—maybe a nice bright green for the button—but for now, the functionality is what matters most.
The Logic Behind the Timer
The biggest question most people have when following a roblox daily reward script tutorial is: "How does the game know it's been exactly 24 hours?"
We use something called os.time(). This is a built-in Luau function that returns the number of seconds that have passed since January 1st, 1970 (this is known as Unix time). It's a huge number, but it's perfect for math.
When a player claims a reward, we save the current os.time() value to their profile using DataStoreService. The next time they join, we subtract that saved number from the new current time. If the difference is greater than or equal to 86,400 (which is how many seconds are in 24 hours), they get their prize!
Creating the Server Script
We want to handle the actual "giving" of rewards on the server side. If you do it on the client (in a LocalScript), exploiters could easily trick the game into giving them infinite money. We definitely don't want that.
Create a Script in ServerScriptService and name it "DailyRewardSystem". Here is the basic structure of what we're going to write:
```lua local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService") local rewardDataStore = DataStoreService:GetDataStore("DailyRewards")
local REWARD_COOLDOWN = 86400 -- 24 hours in seconds local REWARD_AMOUNT = 100 -- How much cash they get
game.Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player) -- We'll check the player's last claim time here end) ```
Inside that PlayerAdded function, we need to wrap our data loading in a pcall (protected call) because DataStores can sometimes fail, and we don't want the whole script to crash if Roblox's servers are having a bad day.
The Claiming Functionality
Now we need a way for the player to actually trigger the claim. We'll use a RemoteEvent for this.
- Go to ReplicatedStorage.
- Create a RemoteEvent and name it "ClaimRewardEvent".
Back in your server script, you'll listen for when this event is fired:
```lua game.ReplicatedStorage.ClaimRewardEvent.OnServerEvent:Connect(function(player) local userId = player.UserId local lastClaim = 0
local success, result = pcall(function() return rewardDataStore:GetAsync(userId) end) if success and result then lastClaim = result end local currentTime = os.time() if currentTime - lastClaim >= REWARD_COOLDOWN then -- Give the player their reward! -- If you have a leaderstat for "Coins", add it here print(player.Name .. " claimed their reward!") -- Save the new time pcall(function() rewardDataStore:SetAsync(userId, currentTime) end) -- You could fire another event back to the client to update the UI else print(player.Name .. " is trying to claim too early!") end end) ```
Making the UI Update (LocalScript)
Now that the server is ready, we need to make the button actually do something. Go back to your DailyRewardGui and add a LocalScript inside the ClaimButton.
The goal here is to fire the RemoteEvent when the button is clicked. But we should also be smart and disable the button if the reward isn't ready yet.
```lua local player = game.Players.LocalPlayer local button = script.Parent local event = game.ReplicatedStorage:WaitForChild("ClaimRewardEvent")
button.MouseButton1Click:Connect(function() event:FireServer() -- Maybe play a sound or show a "Claimed!" message here end) ```
To make it even better, you could add a loop that runs every second to update the text on the button to show a countdown like: "Next reward in: 05:22:10". It's a bit more math (dividing the seconds into hours, minutes, and seconds), but it makes the game feel much more polished.
Handling Streaks (Taking it Further)
A basic roblox daily reward script tutorial usually stops there, but let's talk about streaks for a second. If you want players to come back every single day, you might want to increase the reward each day they return.
To do this, you would need to save two pieces of data: the LastClaimTime and the CurrentStreak.
When the player joins: 1. Check the time difference. 2. If it's between 24 and 48 hours, they kept the streak! Increment the streak by 1. 3. If it's been more than 48 hours, they missed a day. Reset the streak to 1. 4. If it's less than 24 hours, they still have to wait.
Streaks are great because they create a sense of loss. Players don't want to lose their "Day 10" bonus, so they'll make an extra effort to log in.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
I've seen a lot of people mess this up, so keep these things in mind:
- Time Zones: Don't worry about the player's local clock.
os.time()uses UTC (Universal Time), so it's the same for everyone regardless of where they live. This prevents people from changing the clock on their computer to "cheat" the system. - DataStore Limits: Don't try to save data every second. Only save when the player actually clicks the claim button.
- Studio Testing: Sometimes DataStores don't work in Studio unless you go into Game Settings > Permissions and toggle on "Allow API Services to Access DataStores". If you forget this, your script will keep throwing errors.
Final Polishing Touches
Once you have the core code working, think about the "juice." In game design, juice refers to the little animations and sounds that make an action feel rewarding.
When the player clicks "Claim," don't just add numbers to their leaderstats. Maybe make the button shrink and grow slightly using TweenService. Throw some confetti particles on the screen. Play a "Cha-ching!" sound effect. These small details are what make a game feel "premium" versus something put together in five minutes.
Also, consider adding a "Notification" dot on your main menu that appears only when the daily reward is ready. It's a subtle nudge that reminds the player there's something waiting for them.
Wrapping Things Up
Creating a daily reward system is one of those foundational skills in Roblox development. Once you understand how to use os.time() and how to bridge the gap between the client and the server with RemoteEvents, a lot of other complex systems start to make sense too.
It's all about creating a loop. The player joins, they get a reward, they feel good, they play for a bit, and they leave knowing they should come back tomorrow. It's a simple cycle, but it's incredibly effective.
Hopefully, this roblox daily reward script tutorial helped you get your system up and running. If it doesn't work perfectly the first time, don't sweat it. Check your output window for errors, make sure your RemoteEvents are named correctly, and keep tweaking it. Happy scripting!